S Poddar
When Emilia Pérez arrived on Netflix a fortnight ago, after two weeks of a limited run in cinemas, it became instant watercooler talk. “A film impossible to have mild feelings about,” The Atlantic said. The Golden Globes have made good on that challenge by naming Emilia Pérez in most categories imaginable. Spanish-language musical by Jacques Audiard based on the story of transgender cartel leader Karla Sofía Gascón, impressed everyone and earned a record number of 10 nominations.
With that win, Emilia Pérez is now the most nominated comedy or musical in Golden Globe Awards history. It stars as a Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Director for Audiard, and acting nods for Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez in supporting roles. Lead actress Gascón is also looking very good for Best Actress, and the film itself has received nominations for Best Screenplay, Original Score, and many more.
Despite the overwhelming recognition from the Golden Globes, Emilia Pérez has sparked mixed reactions, particularly from critics. While the film has been embraced by the awards circuit, many commentators have expressed discomfort with how Audiard handles the transgender experience. Questions have been leveled about the way the film portrayed the protagonist, Emilia and her pre-transition self. Critics noted that there are times when the character feels it is being treated as a metaphor rather than a fully realized individual. Some have thus taken issue with the way the film treats gender identity, suggesting that it leans in places toward reductive stereotypes about womanhood.
In her review for The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey was pretty merciless with Audiard. She found the director’s take on Emilia was out of touch and shallow. She criticized that the movie pays mere lip service to the idea that character evolution is a fantasy and has to do more with rebirth than anything else, rather than really being a gender change. There is a faint whiff of reductive gender essentialism here: the idea that womanhood is purity embodied,” Loughrey observed, referring to how Emilia’s pre-transition self was posited as a different person to the woman she becomes. Others who reviewed the movie had similar sentiments; they described the movie as “Cis Nonsense” and argued that it was poorly depicted concerning gender identity. Despite their great performances, most agreed that the movie failed to bring about a better representation of the trans experience.
One of the more sensitive topics in the film is the role played by Selena Gomez.
While many critics have praised her efforts within Only Murders in the Building, some point out that she was miscast for Emilia Pérez. Loughrey, for example, said that Gomez’s normally “deadpan charisma” was missing from this movie and that somehow the impact on the emotional depth of the film was lost because of it. It wasn’t, though that could say to be a Best Supporting Actress nomination for the nomination from Gomez. Whether this or not, some may point at not all viewers that appreciated Gomez within the role itself, whereas Emilia Pérez might not have been seen for such an award-winning victory through winning and conquering hearts within any possible circles among movie lovers.
The film’s several nominations highlight the ever-changing landscape of Hollywood, where ambitious projects that explore complex themes and diverse perspectives are gaining so much attention. While some critics believe it mishandles certain sensitive topics, the recognition Emilia Pérez has acquired indicates that its bold storytelling has managed to find an audience eager to embrace its unique vision. The Golden Globes are often a harbinger of which films and performances are going to make waves at the Oscars, and with Emilia Pérez leading the charge with a record 10 nominations, it seems poised to remain a major contender throughout the awards season.
Whether it will continue to divide audiences and critics alike is anyone’s guess, but for now, Emilia Pérez has secured its place as one of the most talked-about films of 2024. In the coming months leading into Oscars, it would indeed be interesting to see which directions the conversation will continue. Meanwhile, Emilia Pérez remains a powerful test of how cinema provokes powerful emotions, debate, and thusly influences the cultural conversation itself.
